Photo by: Tim Cowie
Syracuse Well Represented Among Niagara Track and Field Hall of Fame Awards Semifinalists
6/18/2015 3:54:00 PM | Cross Country, Track and Field
Five men and two women are up for major awards
Five men and two women from the Syracuse cross country and track and field teams have been named as semifinalists for annual awards from the Niagara Track and Field Hall of Fame.
Five of the 10 semifinalists for the Donald J. Paige Award, which is presented to the NCAA Division I Male College Athlete of the Year in the Niagara District and two Syracuse student-athletes are on the Doriane Lambelet Award, presented to the NCAA Division I Female Student-Athlete of the Year in the Niagara District.
The Niagara District is comprised of institutions and student-athletes originally hailing from the 24 counties that make up Central and Western New York.
Freddie Crittenden, Martin Hehir, Justyn Knight, Dan Lennon and Donald Pollitt – each of whom was an All-American during the track and field season – are the Syracuse semifinalists for the Donald J. Paige Award, while ACC Champions Margo Malone and Shaina Harrison represent Syracuse as semifinalists for the Doriane Lamblet Award.
Crittenden took ninth in the 110-meter hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships this month, with Pollitt taking 13th in the same event. Both earned Second Team All-America honors for their performance, making Pollitt the first two-time All-American at Syracuse since Kyle Heath in 2008, and just the second student-athlete to accomplish the feat since 1982.
Hehir earned his third All-America honors of 2014-15 after a 13th-place finish in the 10,000-meters at the NCAA Championships. Hehir previously collected First Team All-America honors in cross country and indoor track (3,000-meters) before earning second team honors in the spring.
Hehir also collected ACC titles in cross country (both individual and team) and the 5,000-meters (indoor). He was the ACC runner-up in the 5,000-meters (outdoor) and 3,000-meters (indoor) and was named the ACC Performer of the Year in cross country and ACC Championships MVP in indoor track.
In addition, the Washingtonville, N.Y. native was selected as the ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in both cross country and indoor track and field and was named to the CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District Team.
Knight burst onto the collegiate scene in a big way this year, proving to be one of the nation's top rookies. The ACC Rookie of the Year in cross country, Knight had a strong debut cross country season – with a 14th-place finish at the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational and an eighth-place finish at the ACC Championships – but saved his best performance for the outdoor track season.
The rookie earned First Team All-America Accolades in the 5,000-meters after taking seventh at the NCAA Championships. He also earned an ACC Championship in the 1,500, and set Syracuse and Canadian Junior records in both events.
Lennon turned in his All-American performance in the 10k. He placed 15th in the event and earned Second Team All-America honors. The Peru, N.Y. native earned All-ACC honors in both cross country and outdoor track after finishing 15th in cross country and earning a silver medal at the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 10k.
Straneva was an Honorable Mention All-American following his 18th-place finish in the 10k at the NCAA Championships. Another member of the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team, Straneva was the bronze medalist at the ACC Cross Country Championships and placed 42nd (two places outside of All-America contention) at the NCAA Championships.
Malone was the other member of the Orange to earn First Team All-America honors at the NCAA Championships this month. She placed seventh in the 10,000-meters, following winning the ACC Championship in May.
Malone took the bronze medal at the ACC Cross Country Championships, placed fifth at the NCAA Northeast Regional and finished 63rd at the NCAA Championships to start off her stellar junior campaign.
Harrison won Syracuse's first individual or team ACC Championship this winter in the 60-meter dash. Harrison later ran a solid race in the 100-meters, taking silver at the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Harrison ran well at the NCAA East Regional, but missed qualifying for Eugene by 0.003 seconds.
Five of the 10 semifinalists for the Donald J. Paige Award, which is presented to the NCAA Division I Male College Athlete of the Year in the Niagara District and two Syracuse student-athletes are on the Doriane Lambelet Award, presented to the NCAA Division I Female Student-Athlete of the Year in the Niagara District.
The Niagara District is comprised of institutions and student-athletes originally hailing from the 24 counties that make up Central and Western New York.
Freddie Crittenden, Martin Hehir, Justyn Knight, Dan Lennon and Donald Pollitt – each of whom was an All-American during the track and field season – are the Syracuse semifinalists for the Donald J. Paige Award, while ACC Champions Margo Malone and Shaina Harrison represent Syracuse as semifinalists for the Doriane Lamblet Award.
Crittenden took ninth in the 110-meter hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships this month, with Pollitt taking 13th in the same event. Both earned Second Team All-America honors for their performance, making Pollitt the first two-time All-American at Syracuse since Kyle Heath in 2008, and just the second student-athlete to accomplish the feat since 1982.
Hehir earned his third All-America honors of 2014-15 after a 13th-place finish in the 10,000-meters at the NCAA Championships. Hehir previously collected First Team All-America honors in cross country and indoor track (3,000-meters) before earning second team honors in the spring.
Hehir also collected ACC titles in cross country (both individual and team) and the 5,000-meters (indoor). He was the ACC runner-up in the 5,000-meters (outdoor) and 3,000-meters (indoor) and was named the ACC Performer of the Year in cross country and ACC Championships MVP in indoor track.
In addition, the Washingtonville, N.Y. native was selected as the ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in both cross country and indoor track and field and was named to the CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District Team.
Knight burst onto the collegiate scene in a big way this year, proving to be one of the nation's top rookies. The ACC Rookie of the Year in cross country, Knight had a strong debut cross country season – with a 14th-place finish at the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational and an eighth-place finish at the ACC Championships – but saved his best performance for the outdoor track season.
The rookie earned First Team All-America Accolades in the 5,000-meters after taking seventh at the NCAA Championships. He also earned an ACC Championship in the 1,500, and set Syracuse and Canadian Junior records in both events.
Lennon turned in his All-American performance in the 10k. He placed 15th in the event and earned Second Team All-America honors. The Peru, N.Y. native earned All-ACC honors in both cross country and outdoor track after finishing 15th in cross country and earning a silver medal at the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 10k.
Straneva was an Honorable Mention All-American following his 18th-place finish in the 10k at the NCAA Championships. Another member of the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team, Straneva was the bronze medalist at the ACC Cross Country Championships and placed 42nd (two places outside of All-America contention) at the NCAA Championships.
Malone was the other member of the Orange to earn First Team All-America honors at the NCAA Championships this month. She placed seventh in the 10,000-meters, following winning the ACC Championship in May.
Malone took the bronze medal at the ACC Cross Country Championships, placed fifth at the NCAA Northeast Regional and finished 63rd at the NCAA Championships to start off her stellar junior campaign.
Harrison won Syracuse's first individual or team ACC Championship this winter in the 60-meter dash. Harrison later ran a solid race in the 100-meters, taking silver at the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Harrison ran well at the NCAA East Regional, but missed qualifying for Eugene by 0.003 seconds.
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